I Need You: Extended Cut
by Ziferoth
Summary: Following the events of 25' "Love is Destructive" and 26' "Yours Sincerely," Asuka and Shinji are the only two alive, after they reject instrumentality. Alternate extended epilogue of "One More Final: I Need You.".
1. Unfamiliar Ceiling

**Disclaimer: The "Evangelion" series is the intellectual property of Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Basically an extended ending to the End of Evangelion's, 'One More Final: I Need You'. I tried to keep all the specific details the same, but there will probably be a few inconsistencies, as it has been a while since I've watched the movie.**

* * *

><p>Shinji awoke to an engulfing darkness. His body was aching, but he didn't see any physical wounds. He was plagued with an all-too-familiar migraine. He finally took a moment to take in his surroundings.<p>

**_'I don't know this ceiling...'  
><em>**

The unfamiliar room was empty, except for the few blankets wrapped around him and a plug suit, which lay in the corner, where the wall was damaged, letting in a reddish light. He saw a faint flickering fire growing and dying through the doorway. He sat up and tried to collect his thoughts and understand why he was here, in this place. He sat motionlessly as the silence engulfed him. He was unsettled by how quiet it was, as he half-expected to hear the droning of cicadas coming from outside, or even the crackling of the fire. He naturally reached for his S-DAT player in his pocket only to realize he was sitting there bare, and he looked over again at the plug suit lying in the corner.  
><em>'I was last in Unit-01? But what happened, and why am I here?'<br>_He tried again to recollect the events that occurred before he found himself here. All he could recall was a voice...it haunted him, criticized him, warned him, begged him, confessed to him...  
>It was Asuka's.<br>_"Kimochi warui..."_***  
><strong>His eyes widened as he started remembering more...  
>He remembered the burning hot coffee, the table and chairs knocked over, the feeling of his fingers digging in, and the suffocated figure he raised before him...<br>_The therapeutic feeling as he squeezed the last life out of her.  
><em>Breaking out of his spell, he noticed the plug suit was in fact red, not white nor belonging to him.  
><em>'I wasn't wearing my plug suit...That means Asuka is...'<br>_ He got up from his rest with new purpose, and slowly made his way to the plug suit in the corner. He lifted and examined it, only to notice his clothes laying there underneath. He felt it best to get dressed. After he finished, he stood there pondering what he would find through the doorway. Oddly enough, he caught himself chanting his idiosyncratic mantra to himself...  
><em>'I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away...'<br>_His only thought now was Asuka. The last he could remember was himself shamefully crying over her weak figure, with his hands in a loosening grip around her throat.  
><em>"Kimochi warui..."<br>_His thoughts wandered off again when he found himself standing in the doorway. He was entering another blank canvas room, slightly larger, and what seemed to be the common room of this dwelling. Except, a window caught his eye. As he took one more cautionary glance along the room, he finally saw it.

_**It was a horrific sight...**_

The flickering firelight danced on and off the anomaly situated by it. The figure of a girl, hunched over, almost lifeless, with her eyes gazing deep into the red flames, the same that made up her hair. Shinji stood there, stunned. He tried to decipher what the visage of the girl before him held. It was a look foreign to her, as he was foreign to her. Her face displayed too many emotions at once, something Shinji thought impossible. Her face held fear, sorrow, loneliness, despair, pain, bashfulness, pity, guilt, innocence...

_**Her face held death...**_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: "Kimochi warui." Ah yes, the final line of dialogue as delivered by Asuka in the film, really sends shivers down your spine. I left it untranslated because it's pretty open-ended when translated. A lot of debate and speculation also come with it, so not going to bother defining it, but to give a general idea, it means, "I feel sick," or "I feel terrible." It really has a heavy meaning when it comes with all the previous context. Honestly, the End of Evangelion from start to finish was crazy! But, nonetheless, I loved it, and it is easily my number one favorite release when it comes to philosophy on human nature. I find it to be a sad but true testament to mankind and all it's faults. Don't forget the terminal depression that follows after watching the movie! LOL Anyways, back to the story. Also, hopefully my tense isn't all messed up. Tell me how bad it is. Also probably overused 'fancy' words so it might sound a bit atrocious. Anyways, please R&R. I'll try to update this soon.**


	2. Horizon

**Disclaimer: The "Evangelion" series is the intellectual property of Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"You didn't even try, did you?"<strong>_

_**'I did.'**_

_**"Then how come you never understood?"**_

_**'Because you never tell me anything!'**_

_**"What do you want me to do?"**_

_**'Be kind to me!'**_

_**"I am."**_

_**'Then why do you hide from me? How come you won't help me?'**_

_**"Because…I'm afraid."**_

_**'Afraid of what?'**_

_**"I'm afraid that when you finally understand who I am, you'll…You'll hate me!"**_

_**'How could I hate you? We're the same!'**_

_**"That's why I'm afraid. We're the same...If you don't change, I can't either."**_

The red ate away at everything. It saturated the air. It broke against the spires and ate away at the shoreline. It took place of the moon. It sapped away all the life in the already ravaged landscape. It colored the fog that filled the craters. It told the story mankind, and its final wish. The wish that the world remain the same, every being adorned with an invisible veil of spikes. Spikes that destroyed the walls around human hearts and dug deeper the closer two beings got. The two that understood it the most were the only ones to return from the sea of life, LCL, and they were currently taking refuge in one of the many now empty houses that would never shelter a family again. The only thing they sheltered now was the broken boy, and the damaged damsel. The two motherless children. The two that fought, and learned of who they really were. The two that discovered the true meaning of pain. The two that rose out of despair. The two that knew what it was to suffer. The two that hid their true feelings the most. The two that were constantly unsatisfied with themselves. The two that wanted to escape. The two that truly knew what it meant to be lonely.

Shinji stared at the girl before him. The one person he couldn't understand, the one person he wanted to understand the most. Aside from the various bandages shielding her wounds, there was only a blanket wrapped around her as she stared silently into the fire. He wanted ask her how he got here, even though he probably already knew. He vaguely remembered her dragging him here when he blacked out from exhaustion after crying over her weak figure. He wanted to apologize to her for all the pain he caused her, because he finally understood how he hurt her. Shinji only watched her apathetically, until he finally broke his trance and slowly made his way to the window. The window was shattered, with some sharp shards of glass still stuck inside the frame. He gently traced his finger along the uneven, jagged pieces until he cut his finger, the sting barely making him flinch. He lifted his head and looked at the world before him with his detached eyes. They slowly absorbed the landscape before his eyes. Unfazed by the ravaged city before him, he scanned everything before him. As he observed the desolate scene, he felt it coming. His emotion was rushing back to him, ready to burst. He held back a few sobs, simultaneously hanging his head the way always did, staring at nothing, only receding deeper into his shell. He put his hand on the window frame to steady himself, subsequently cutting his hand some more because of the fragments of glass still present. He calmed down a bit. He lifted his head once more, this time looking along the horizon.

_'The red sky…It's so…'_

Then he saw it. A half-moon replacing the old moon, with a red core.

_'A core?...'_

Shinji gasped. The "moon" before him was the grotesquely cleaved-in-half face of Ayanami Rei.

_'What…Why…WHY!'_

Shinji gripped his temples with both hands and let out a piercing scream. Pain shot through his body. He fell over and blacked out.

All eyes were on him.

A red eye watched with no regard.

Blue eyes watched with everything, the sadly nostalgic sight bringing them back to the present.


	3. Questions, Answers, Unanswered Questions

_****_**Disclaimer: The "Evangelion" series is the intellectual property of Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Have you picked out a name?"<strong>_

_**"If it's a boy, we'll name him Shinji. If it's a girl, Rei."**_

_**"Shinji...Rei…"**_

_**"Shinji...Shinji…"**_

_**"Ayanami..."**_

_**"Shinji..."**_

_**"Rei…"**_

_**"Rei...Ikari..."**_

_**"Rei..."**_

_**"Wrong."**_

_**"Ayanami...Rei."**_

Shinji awoke, startled. He awoke from the same very first dream he had since piloting Eva Unit-01. He looked to his left. He was in the same room he previously woke up in, all alone. He looked to his right. No, he wasn't alone.

Their eyes met.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for taking forever on this small update that is Chapters 2 and 3. Semester exams just finished in school, Elder Scrolls V withdrawal is finally gone, video editing hiatus time (sad face D;). Played one route in Katawa Shoujo, which is an amazing (so far) and free OELVN (Original English Language Visual Novel), and inspired me to write some more. So, I'll try to update once a week or something plausible. Until next time~!**


	4. I'm home

**Disclaimer: The "Evangelion" series is the intellectual property of Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

><p><strong>"Shinji-kun, this is your home now."<strong>

**Misato stood inside the apartment, smiling serenely at the boy before her.**

**"I-I'm home."**

**Shinji reluctantly stepped inside the messy apartment. Misato beamed again at her new roommate.**

**_'Am I okay with this?' _the two thought.**

* * *

><p>An immense heat radiated from the pilot's plug. The metal encasing warped from the heat. Worried hands firmly grasped at the exit hatch's handles. Sizzling and a sharp pain. The handles gave in and finally turned. The pressure from built-up steam was released. The hatch flipped up and open.<br>"Ayanami!" a voice cried out.  
>The dazed girl came back to her senses.<br>"Are you all right? Ayanami!" the voice called out again.  
>She opened her eyes and looked at her savior.<br>_'It's just like last time…'_  
>Just like the time she had a reason to live for someone else. The time when she first thought she could feel a connection with people. The memory brought a little more life back into her shell.<br>"Don't say…Don't say that you have nothing else."  
>Rei was startled. She looked more closely at the boy. He was tearing up.<br>"Don't say goodbye when you leave on a mission. It's too sad."  
>Rei was stunned. She didn't know how to respond. She simply watched the boy quietly cry. After some time, she finally cocked to her head to the side and naïvely asked,<br>"Why are you crying?"  
>There was no response. The boy continued. This flustered Rei even more.<br>"I'm sorry. I don't know what to do or feel at a time like this."  
>Upon hearing Rei's bashful apology, he looked up, tears still in his eyes, and suggested with relief,<br>"Why don't you try smiling?"  
>Rei gasped again. For a moment, the image of Gendo Ikari flashed before her.<br>_'No, this is different from that time…'_  
>This boy had done more for her. He had cried for her. Emotions found their home in her once more. Lost in her happiness, she let out a radiant smile, gladly taking the boy's advice.<p>

* * *

><p>Their gazes mingled in silence. They stared and stared, letting time wash over them. Waiting for the other to speak, neither dared to utter a word. They simply rejoiced, cherishing the moment.<br>"W..."  
>Shinji came back to attention as Asuka tried to place her words, breaking eye contact.<br>"Wel..."  
>Asuka stumbled again. Letting out a deep breath and straightening her hair and dress, she turned to Shinji once more, their eyes meeting again.<br>"Welcome back, Shinji."  
>Asuka put on a gentle as she greeted him. Shinji stifled a few sobs as relief overtook him. He wanted to let everything out. Asuka reached out and tightly grasped his hand. He was so happy he started cry.<br>Their first meeting after he went through all the pain of losing her.


	5. First Meeting

**Disclaimer: The "Evangelion" series is the intellectual property of Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

><p>"Welcome back, Shinji."<br>Shinji couldn't stop his tears. He silently wept, as was his habit, the comfort of the other's touch helping him along.

* * *

><p>"Where are you taking me?" a confused Shinji asked.<br>Asuka dragged him along. Earlier, they had felt an underwater shockwave. Suspecting an Angel attack, Asuka wanted to be ready to show the Third Child that she wasn't just talk, that she was the best. Deciding that the stairs were a good place to change into her plug suit, she turned to him.  
>"Just wait there a second."<br>"I can't believe this."  
>Ignoring the Third's pouting, Asuka went ahead and started changing. When she looked up towards the set of stairs above her, she spotted the boy trying to see what she was doing.<br>"Don't peep, you pervert!"  
>"Sorry!"<br>Asuka turned slightly red, and thought out loud,  
>"Why are all boys such perverted jerks?"<br>No response from the Third. She finished up. All ready, she nodded.  
>"Here we go, Asuka." she reassured herself.<p>

Up on the deck was chaos. The captain was just about ready to give in.  
>"Why won't it sink?" he asked confusedly.<br>"I knew it. Only an Eva can beat it!" Touji accidently said aloud. He received a nasty glare from the captain.

"Let's go."  
>Asuka tossed him another one of her plug suits. All she received was a blank response.<br>_'I've already lost this idiot…'_  
>"Come with me!" she forcefully commanded him. He nervously looked at it again.<p>

The Third stood looking miserable, trying to hide his lower body.  
>"Hey, what are these entry-plug suits for?"<br>"_Anta baka?_ We're going to beat it with my Unit 02!"  
>"No way! Do you have approval from Misato?"<br>"I'll get permission after I've beaten it." she confidently rebuttled.  
>"Now, I'll show you how magnificent my piloting is! Just don't disturb me."<br>The two pilots entered the plug. Asuka continued with procedures.  
>"L.C.L. Füllung! <em>[Fill in the L.C.L.!]<em> Anfang der Bewegung! _[Initiating the startup sequence!]_ Anfang des Nervenanschlusses! _[Connecting the neural interface!]_ Auslösen von Linksneigung! _[Release of the left pitch!]_ Synchro, Start!"  
>The inside of the plug switched between different patterns as it began synchronization. The a sudden error hit.<br>"Program error? What happened?" the nervous Third asked.  
>"Thought noise! I told you not to disturb me."<br>"What do you mean?"  
>"You're thinking in Japanese, aren't you? Think in German."<br>"Oh, okay. Baumkuchen…" _[Cake]_  
>"<em>Baka<em>! Fine, stop trying. Switch the language to basic Japanese."  
>This time, the synchronization was successful.<br>"Evangelion Unit 02, activate."

* * *

><p>Shinji gained some of his composure back. Most of his tears had dried by now, as he let out a final few nervous breaths. His breathing returned to normal. He sat up in the collection of blankets that resembled a <em>futon<em>. He faced the only one left, his only companion in this world as of now.  
>"I'm home."<br>His attempt at breaking the silence between the two failed. The silence wasn't unwelcoming, but he still felt nervous after his vivid display of emotion. As he thought of what to say next, he realized they were still holding hands.  
>"I'm sorry!"<br>He pulled his hand back as he blurted out an unconvincing apology. Seeing the surprise on her face only made his face flush. Nevertheless, the German was way ahead of him, her ears a bright red.  
>"<em>Anta baka<em>?"  
>"Eh? What did I do this time?"<br>Asuka looked down on him with a disapproving glance. He stared back with an equally agitated expression.  
>He only managed to keep it up for a few seconds, because he couldn't help but let a smile slip out. It reminded him of all the times they pettily bickered over who got to watch TV or take a shower first. He sputtered as he tried to hold back a chuckle, but it grew until he just erupted in laughter. Asuka relaxed a bit and giggled happily, reducing back to staring at the floor and smiling peacefully. As Shinji's laughter died down, he watched her. He wanted to convince himself that she was happy, but her behavior was odd.<br>_'She may be smiling, but she looks really worried…"_  
>Lost in thought, Shinji kept watching.<br>No. That smile wasn't real. He noticed how she was staring at the floor, eyes wide but unfocused. The tension on her face, as she fought back nervous laughs. She furrowed her eyebrows.  
><em>'She looks a tad bit crazy like that…Just a bit.'<em>  
>Shinji shook off that thought. He couldn't think like that. He obviously knew something was off about her. He needed to focus on the task at hand: figuring out what was bothering her.<br>"Asuka?"  
>He called quietly. No response.<br>"…Asuka?"  
>Again, no response.<br>"A-su-ka?"  
>Pronouncing each syllable separately didn't seem to help. He crawled over, gently took hold of and shook her arm and called once more.<br>"Hey, Asuk—"  
>"Yes Shinji?"<br>Her response was quick, cutting him off before he finished. She tensed up upon feeling his touch, sitting straight up. Now that they were face-to-face, he saw how tired and put-out she looked.  
>"Is something wrong?" he asked, concern in his voice.<br>"I-It's nothing…It's just…Nothing…"  
>Unconvinced, Shinji gave her a few more seconds until proceeding to ask again.<br>"Is some—"  
>"Nothing's wrong. I just…Need some sleep."<br>Producing an acceptable response, Shinji gave up for the time being. He got out of the makeshift bed and offered it to her. She accepted, unsteadily laying down and drifting off, back into her dreams.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: If you didn't know already, _"Anta baka?"_ means literally "You fool." Translated as "What are you, stupid?" Asuka is also speaking German during the startup sequence, if you didn't catch that. The dialogue in the flashback is directly from the show as well.**


	6. New Life Ahead

**Disclaimer: The "Evangelion" series is the intellectual property of Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Let me apologize beforehand for being slow and not keeping promises. Leaving reviews so I know people care would probably help me amend the previously mentioned.**

* * *

><p>Tokyo-3 was in a horrible condition. Only the sprawl on the outskirts of the city was holding up. Everywhere else was just a reminder of what had happened. Buildings were crumbling, and rubble filled craters where other buildings once stood. The eerie silence of the desolate city brought a strange calm with it; a calm that kept Shinji from breaking down at the sight of this. A calm that reminded him that he made his choice. A choice he mustn't regret. Shinji made note of his surroundings. Everywhere he went, he made little landmarks so he wouldn't get lost. The city, in its destruction, was alien to him. He jokingly called it "New Tokyo-0.5." It was just a shadow of its former self. All the street lights were out with the lack of energy to power them. Municipal water sources didn't work either, he found, after wandering from house to house, trying out all the sinks. He was searching for a better place where he and Asuka could stay. He left her sleeping, gone to look for provisions. He figured a better shelter would do, but he didn't have any luck finding anything that would be an improvement.<p>

Letting out a long sigh, Shinji changed his thoughts to finding the nearest intact convenience store where he could find some bottled drinks and canned food to eat. After wandering about the empty city for 2 hours, he managed to find one. He took a cart and piled in as many non-perishable items and bottles of water. He finally noticed that the electricity was on here when he noted that the fridges were working. After filling the shopping cart, he went to the checkout counter, hopped over, and started looking for anything useful. Money wasn't necessary, since he wasn't going to be buying anything, or even paying for what was in his cart for that matter. He found a road map of the city, and took it despite the fact that a lot of the signs on the streets were damaged. Satisfied with that, he was getting ready to leave, until he noticed keys hanging on a bulletin board with store policies on it, among other things. The thought of driving just occurred to him.  
><em>'There isn't any police force around to enforce the law…It should be easy enough since I can pilot Eva…'<em>  
>He had always wanted to try driving, because he had heard it could be relaxing. He never believed it, though, because most of his car rides were with Misato. Everywhere else he went walking, or commuted by railway.<br>With curiosity manifesting within him, he couldn't resist taking the keys and checking the back behind the store for a car. Sure enough, he found an old sedan waiting for him. He pressed the button on the key fob, and a satisfying flash of headlights accompanied with a honk greeted him. He got in the car, recognizing the parts, finally appreciating the times he was alone in Kensuke's company. Even though he had talked about military issue vehicles, the parts were similar. Shinji put the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine rumbled into life, the sound of its loud humming echoing throughout the silent city. The familiar sound made him happy.  
><em>'Maybe the city will sound as it did years ago 100 years from now? But that's not going to happen so easily. Perhaps people will start wandering back to the real world and rise up from the sea of L.C.L.?'<em>  
>It was a comforting thought, but a foolish one. It would take an astronomical amount of time before more people will realize that they are gone from this world, and even more for them to find the way back; to find their heart.<br>Shinji was a fast learner, and he easily became familiar with the controls of the car. After driving around in the small parking lot, he loaded the spoils he pilfered from the store into the car, and slowly made his way back, following the landmarks he had made earlier. Eventually, a beeping noise emanated from the dash in the car.  
>"Ah, crap! I'll have to worry about the gas…" Shinji uncharacteristically thought aloud, seeing the warning light. "I'll have to find an intact pump where the self-service is still working."<br>_'Maybe I should have taken the money back there? Vending machines aren't free either…'_  
>Shinji continued his drive, entertaining himself with these small thoughts.<p>

* * *

><p>The shallow waves gently caressed Shinji's ankles. He stood there on the beach, feet in the water. He looked to his left and saw the rock spires as they were slowly eroded away by the sea of L.C.L. and blood. He looked over towards his right, meeting the cold, dead stare of Ayanami Rei. He slowly fell back against the sand, and lay there, like a starfish, staring up at the sky. As the water washed over his feet, he let time wash over him.<p>

* * *

><p>Asuka awoke from a long slumber, feeling rejuvenated. Stretching and letting out a big yawn, she felt pangs of hunger and thirst creep up through her. It had been nearly 4 days without a drop to drink or a morsel to chew. The sound of footsteps startled her.<br>"Shinji? Is that you?"  
>"Who else did you expect?" So said a grinning Shinji entering through the doorway, producing an armful of goods.<br>"Eh? What's in those bags?" She inquired, rubbing the remaining sleep out of her eyes.  
>"It's a surprise."<br>"It better be food," she growled.  
>"Calm down. There's plenty." He sighed, apparently all-too-prepared for her response.<br>"You know, I would have had to eat you if you didn't bring any food with you. I really am starving to the point of cannibalism."  
>A smile played at her lips.<br>"You'd eat an idiot like me?"  
>"Why not? You aren't good at anything, so maybe you'd taste good. At least you could stave off my hunger for a few more days."<br>"Well, if I don't taste good, you won't be able to stomach me. You'll just throw up everywhere."  
>"That's an IF. Now, let's find out."<br>She got up from the floor and started approaching him with a sly smile. He could feel the sinister air swept into the room. He nervously swallowed. This couldn't be good.  
>One step closer…Two steps closer…<br>The tension built up as the only sound that could be heard was his nervous breathing and her approaching footsteps.  
>She was only foot away from him now.<br>She came to a stop, and started to lean in slowly.  
>Her face was getting closer.<br>He could feel her warm, moist breath on his face and neck. He was so nervous that the tone of his face nearly matched that of one of her plug-suits.  
>All he could see was her lips, getting closer and closer…<br>He closed his eyes in anticipation.

...

The moment passed, with Shinji's anticipation all for naught, not to mention his burden feeling lighter.  
>He opened up his eyes.<br>A feisty German sat on the floor, tearing into a plastic bag full of canned goods as a child tears into their presents on their birthday.  
>After she tore up the last of the bag, she looked up at him, satisfied, and let out a small giggle.<br>"Want one?" She asked, offering him a can. "It's a personal gift from me."  
>"Sure," he said letting out a breath of relief. "I'd love one."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I dunno what to put here. I don't have any excuses for being slow besides from school and spending my free time more on other stuff such as video editing (YouTube: Ziferoth), anime watching, reading, playing video games, and recently, vectoring (spent an entire weekend just doing a vector of Kanade from Angel Beats!). Also Katawa Shoujo's Shizune and Lilly route (only 2 more left! Wait, that makes me sad. ;_;). Even though it's pointless, I'll make this promise again: I will try my BEST to update this once every two weeks...If my best isn't enough, then I give my sincerest apologies.**


End file.
